A whistleblower from within the Ambulance Service claims cutbacks to overtime and staff rosters has already led to a "massive drop in cover" in Monaghan. It's also alleged there are similar problems in Cavan.
When the concerned member of the public contacted Northern Sound he / she calculated that 23 shifts in Monaghan ambulance station and three in Castleblayney were not covered in the first week of March. And, between the hours of 9pm on Friday, 28th Februaruy and 7am the following morning there were "zero ambulances" or crews in Monaghan Ambulance Station.
The whistleblower alleges NAS established two new shifts covering Dundalk to Monaghan and Swords to Castleblayney to provide cover for the missed shifts. This change is meant to see Dundalk ambulance staff cover Monaghan and Swords for Castleblayney. However, the whistleblower says the reality is these crews often don't make it to their destination of Monaghan or Castleblayney stations as they respond to calls in their locality and especially since they have to take patients to Drogheda hospital where there are massive delays.
When Northern Sound put the whistleblower's allegations to the HSE a spokesperson responded by statement saying the current situation is a result of the NAS policy to recruit paramedics from within 45km of their home. "Paramedic recruitment and retention is an ongoing issue for National Ambulance Service stations nationwide, including in Monaghan and Cavan," the statement reads.
"To help address this and meet the increasing demand for services, staff from other bases within the region are now rostered to provide an increased level of cover to the affected stations on a 24-hour basis. "This measure offers a more comprehensive level of service in the affected counties, without relying on excessive overtime, which can affect staff wellbeing."
The whistleblower said the the situation in Monaghan is replicated in Cavan station with shifts "not being covered there too, as an ambulance starting in Swords trying to get to Cavan rarely happens too." The HSE statement did not make reference to specific station cover.
